1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transport ship adapted for simultaneous transport of a cargo consisting of i) a liquid, particularly oil, and ii) a plurality of containers as well as iii) optionally at least one additional type of goods, the transport ship having a hull including a sheathing, a bottom, a weather deck and a tank for storing and transporting the liquid, as well as a front part, a rear part and a central part. In this connection, containers are taken to mean standard containers of the type which is generally used for the transport of goods on board containerships.
2. The Prior Art
The prior art (see e.g., DE-A-2 462 202) includes a few examples of tankers having an oil tank intended for carrying crude oil and allowing simultaneous transport of an additional type of goods during one and the same voyage. The rear part of these ships usually includes a deck superstructure with the navigating bridge of the ship and the means necessary for the propulsion of the ship, including machinery and fuel tanks, while the front part of the ship includes the stem. The central part of the known ship includes the oil tank whose boundary walls may be formed by the sheathing of the ship. The central part of the ship additionally includes a plurality of holds intended to accommodate the additional type of goods. Upwardly, the oil tank is defined by the weather deck of the ship, and this is also the case with the holds.
However, it has previously not been possible to achieve optimum flexibility and capacity with these ships. Thus, the ships are inexpedient, because the volume capacity, i.e., the volume of goods that can be carried, for the additional type of goods is merely achieved at the expense of the crude oil volume capacity. When the ship sails without crude oil, it is only possible to transport an amount of the additional type of goods corresponding to the volume capacity of the holds provided for this type of goods. Neither when sailing with the additional cargo and with oil, nor when sailing with the additional cargo alone, is the ship thus utilized optimally.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved transport ship which, with a high load capacity, allows transport of various combinations of goods, at least one type of which is liquid, while allowing simultaneous transport of a considerable number of standard containers and optionally an additional type of goods, such as, e.g., general cargo. It must be possible also to transport containers and, e.g., general cargo in relatively large amounts, without this causing any considerable reduction in the volume capacity for the liquid, i.e., the liquid volume that can be carried, relatively to a conventional tanker with corresponding dimensions and a corresponding cost of construction. Hereby, when carrying, e.g., oil, the owner of the ship can obtain considerably higher earnings per voyage than per voyage with the known tankers.